Automobile-lighting apparatus.



. F. E. WILSON. A AUTOMOBILEfLlGHTING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 2B, l9l4.

Patented Dec. 4, 193'?.

cum I FRANK. EnNEs'r "WIEsoN, or LONDON;A ENGLAND.

aUToMoEILE-LIGHTING Arraaa'rns.

'Specification ofLettersPatent. Patentd Dec, 4,1917,

Application iled November 28, 1914. Serial'Nfo". 874,538.

To all whom it may concern.'`

'Be it known that FRANK ERNEST WILSON, a subject of the King of (Jrrcat Britain and' Ireland, residing at 17 Seaton street, Euston` road, London, N. W., England, has invented certain new and useful Improvements in n .Autombile-Lighting A paratus,4,of.which the following-is a speci cation.`

This invention. for improvements in appa.- ratus for use in connection with electric lighting systems on automobiles Arelates to apparatus'for controlling the various lamps such as head lamps, side lamps, tail lamps and the like-and has for its object firstly a compact apparatus comprising switches meters andother suitable devices-Which shall.

be readily applicable to the dashboard and vtating the connection of the control appa-l ratus to the external circuits. 'This apparatus is designed for usein connection with electrical installations which, lare supplied with current from a secondary battery workving in conjunction with a lgenerator,

illuminate'the same and snf'vev as an indiand The apparatus constructed according to the present invention consists essentially of a combined switchl and meter box'whichis permanently connected by a length of fiexible cable preferably armored to a junction box in'which thel .electrical connections with the external circuits are made. The switch and meter box -is adapted to be mounted on the. dashboard of the car and comprises a Set of switch levers mounted on a common shaft within the box and arranged to control the various external circuits and av combined voltmeter and ammeter. The meter is' provided with a translucent dial and a low voltage lamp connected in series with the tail'lamp is mounted behind the dial `to cator as to .the condition of thetail lamp.

' One preferred form of construction vis shown in the accompanyingsheetof illustrative drawings inwhichj Figure 1 isa front 'view of the apparatus Fig. 2 is a side sectional elevation..

As seen the switches a are assembled on a common spindle and mounted ina casing b of metal or other suitable material in such a.

manner that the switch handles project through the front of thecasing b. vA combined ammeter and voltmeter. c controlled' Referring to the drawings it will be seen that' the switches a consist of sectors bearing radialvhandles and are mounted on a'comf` mon spindle'k near the front of the casing, sol that a portion of each sector-"together wit-h said handles project through suitable apertures in the casing. These switches' are y further preferably constructed, so that? they that-When moved tov either' extreme of the,

impossible for them, 4to be swung out'of sald position, due to the jarring of the car. Each disk is provided within the casing with a knife blade or other suitable contact Z adapted when the switch handle is in' 'one-extreme vare capable of a certain locking'- action, so V Y'I0 apertures in the casing, it will be well ni h secondly an improved junction box faciliposition tol engage and electrically connectl pairs of contact blades m mounted .on a plate n of insulating material.

One Aof the switches a1 which controls ne dynamo is provided with two pairs of contact blades m lm1 to constitute a -two lway switch for use in connection with the combined ammeter and voltmeter c. Ifdesired l i another switch may-be arranged in connection with the magneto 'in order tocontrolthe ignition ofthe engine.

' The meter c being provided' with a translucentjdial the lamp d yconnected in series with the tail lamp onfthe Avehicle serves to illuminate the dial andat the same time acts asa -check'on the tail lamps -A' connector,

socket o of thebayonet or other suitable of an inspection lamp or other form is also provided on thecasingfor the i 95 proved form may be detachably mounted on: i the side of or 'within/the casing and con'- nected to the source of supily by a fieiribleY cord winding on a spring thecasing. 'i

l The electrical connection between the conrum inclosed'm vltrol apparatus and. the junction box e is permanent and consists of anarmoredvcable which is secured to the casings of both appa- The junction box is formed of twoA ratus. half Section5 Sturd together by screws with in the junction box.

the removable terminal board g arranged between. 4The. terminal board g is held in place by ribs e1 on the box sections which engage grooves in the board and is provided with any approved `form of `termlnal screws for the connection of the leads from the lamps, battery-generator andthe like. Preferably these terminals are arranged substantially nf'a'circle around the.. board` n. large terminal being provided at the 4center for the assembly of the common wires.

Withv the above arrangements vthe wiring of an automobile is greatly simplified as after the controll a paratus and junction box have been attac led'to the'dash-board and chassis respectively the ,circuit leads have vonly to be connected to the terminals In order to insure these connections beingmade correctly the terminals are numbered and an explanatory diagram ,may be provided.

Furthermore, the above apparatus is sim--A -.plejand cheap of manufacture and at the same time occupies but small space on the dash-board. I

4being provided with a translucent' dial, a lamp arranged Within the casing andbehind said dial adapted to illuminate said dial, a second lamp, the first lamp being arranged in series with the lsecond lamp, whereby if the latter lamp, at any time fails to light, the first-named lamp will not be supplied with current and will consequently fail to l*light whereby it .will immediately vbecome apparent to the operator that the vsecond lamp is not lighted.

VIn testimony whereof Iy have affixed my signature,l in presence of two witnesses.

`FRANK ERNEST- WILSON.- Witnesses:

A. NASH,

S.PERc1vAL. 

